Tag Archives: Divided

Further to Don McVey’s short documentary (The Price of Love), which was released earlier in the month, Benjamin Cowles is currently looking to create a similar project.

Benjamin is a MA Journalism student. The MA is Journalism, War and International Human Rights. His film is still in the very early stages at the moment. It is going to focus on the UK Immigration Regulations for Britons with non-EEA partners and the Human Rights violations that these incur.

Benjamin states that he is a firm believer in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the UK is a signatory. In which Article 16 states that men and women have the right to marry and found a family. The same sentiment is echoed in the European Convention of Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998.

The UK government claims to uphold human rights, yet – as many of us know – this is only when it suits them. The documentary is to focus on this right to marry people from beyond European borders. Another reason Benjamin want to cover this topic is that it also affects him…

I was shocked to learn that I couldn’t exercise the basic human right to live with her [my girlfriend] in the country I grew up in.

The film won’t only be focusing on the SS route [Surinder Singh Route], but also on the plight of other couples, especially LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender] couples who have far more pressure to deal with.

If you’d like to be involved or if have any more questions you can contact Benjamin who will be more than interested to hear your story.